HIST 354, 355
American Social History (US) (WI)
Catalog Entry
HIST 354, 355
American Social History (US) (WI)
Three hours lecture/discussion: (3)
Prerequisite: Three hours of History at the 100 level.
An intensive study of American life, customs, character and social problems. HIST 354 covers
the colonial era through the mid-19th century and HIST 355 from mid-19th century to
the present.
Note(s): Cultural or Behavioral Analysis designated course.
Detailed Description of Content of Course
The courses are arranged in a topical fashion and include discussion of the following:
I. The Family
A. The Family Retreat from the City
B. The Family in the Emerging Urban Environment
II. Medicine and Health
A. The Social Transformation of American Medicine
B. Medicine and Society in the Twentieth Century
C. Alternative Medicine
III. Work
A. Making Workers More Efficient
B. The Corporate Person
IV. Housing
A. Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie Home
B. The Future of Housing
V. Raising Children
A. Coping With Adolescence
B. The High School
VI. Communications
A. The Telephone
B. The Age of Television
VII. Consumption
A. The Department Store
B. The Mulling of America
VIII. Gathering Places
A. The Poor Man's Club
B. Social Life in a Working-Class Tavern
IX. Managing the Environment
A. Designing Places for Mechanized Leisure
B. Constructing Make-Believe Cities
X. Old Age
A. The Obsolescence of Old Age
B. When to Retire?
XI. Heroes
A. Horatio Alger, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Carnegie, and the Cowboy
B. Heroes on the Playing Field
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
Although the course would generally be classified as lecture, significant portions
of class time are devoted to questions designed to stimulate critical thinking skills
and the examination of primary documents which introduce students to the basic raw
materials of historical study. In addition, regularly scheduled class periods are
reserved for discussions on assigned readings and monographs. Students prepare written
critical analyses as preparation for thoughtful discussions.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
Departmental Goals and Objectives:
1. Students will practice thinking critically and analytically about historical issues,
acquire a broader knowledge and deeper understanding of pertinent historical events
and processes, and cultivate a familiarity with the concepts of historical argument
and interpretation.
2. Students will develop disciplinary research skills by designing strategies to locate
and analyze primary and secondary source evidence, processing and organizing the resultant
data, and composing proper citation and bibliographical entries.
3. Students will apply their critical thinking, research, and compositional skills
to the creation and presentation of thesis driven essays that discuss, for example,
historical social, economic, political, and/or cultural developments and that address
issues such as the causes and consequences of historical change and continuity.
Course Goals and Objectives:
1) Students will be able to analyze the modes of everyday life in modern America.
2) Students will be able to demonstrate through oral and written analyses how present
social developments flow from and are intimately connected to the past.
3) Students will develop historical consciousness by comparing and contrasting primary
sources.
4) Students will be able to think critically and demonstrate this skill through various
modes of writing.
Assessment Measures
Knowledge and understanding of the material covered in this course will be measured
using an array of assessment tools that may include, among other things, class attendance
and participation, written examinations, formal writing assignments of various types,
and informal writing assignments. All exercises are designed to expand the student's
ability to evaluate historical events and to develop his or her ability to compose
persuasive arguments.
Other Course Information
None
Review and Approval
October 2010 Reviewed and Approved by Sharon A. Roger Hepburn, Chair
04/2011
March 01, 2021